Raccoon City Chronicles: Survivors
by livelyheart
Summary: A broken family. A unlikely group of survivors. A zombie infested city. Survive Raccoon City with 16 year-old Keira Fouller.


**A/N: This is my first oneshot that I have completed. This is also my first Resident Evil fanfiction and I do not own the franchise. Anyway, read on!**

RACCOON CITY CHRONICLES: SURVIVORS

DAY 1

SEPTEMBER 22, 1998

3 : 3 0 P M

Fall is arriving in Raccoon City.

Turning my attention away from Miss Stewart who is giving a pointless lecture about history on the board, I peer past several heads that are blocking my view, towards the window. Tall oak trees are scattered with their branches that hold green leaves forming into common colours of fall, red, yellow and orange. Peering through the window, the wind blew the leaves off the trees and onto the ground, awaiting the janitor to rake them into neat piles. Autumn is my favourite season; the temperature is cool not cold, the days are shorter and nights are longer. Fall is always my favourite time of the year.

Abruptly, Miss Stewart calls my name, "Miss Fouller," She pushes her cat-eyed glasses higher on the bridge on her nose and stares at me though her lowered brows. Pausing her lesson, the students immediately turn around to face at the back of the class.

They stare impatiently as I say, "Yes, Miss?" The teacher crosses her arms over her chest.

"Not paying attention, are we?" She asks, "I _asked_ , what prominent event occurred in 1987?" Nineteen eighty-seven. Although Miss Stewart does not think I am paying attention or do not know the answer, I do.

I answer, "In 1987, Raccoon City became an industrialized city of Umbrella with the support of Mayor Warren."

My parents have lived in Raccoon City for as long as they remember. They lived in the city before it became industrialized when it was only a small town with little residents. However, all that changed when Umbrella arrived in 1987. I was five years old when our little town became not so little anymore. The city became a tourist attraction, the _Home of Umbrella_. With a current count of over 100, 000 residents, the city is still continuing to grow. No matter how different the city became, the residents would not leave. This is Raccoon City, the place they call home.

Yet, Umbrella not only brought more residents, they also brought a strong economy. New jobs, new facilities, new work branches, name it. And my father works directly for them. He is a pharmaceutical researcher for common flu cures and my mother is his assistant. That is actually how they met in the first place, she was assigned to Simon Fouller and soon enough, they met and fell in love. They are not prominent people for Umbrella but they are in the community. Which means so am I.

Although I am still a junior at Raccoon High, everybody knows Umbrella is in my future. As expected. Whatever dream college or university I have in mind is out of question since when I graduate school, my next stop is Raccoon College, specializing in _Umbrella courses._ That is right, the city has Umbrella courses. The closer graduation day arrives, the more I hate Umbrella. I would much rather have the city without it, life would be much more simpler.

I know when I turn eighteen, in two years, I can leave the city and head to the other side of the country or world if I desire. But I can't. I cannot leave my family. I would not recognize myself as the glue or the bandage but I need them. Home is where family is and if never wanting to leave home means working for Umbrella my entire life then so be it.

The teacher says, "Very good, Keira."

She asks another student a question. He has his head resting on the desk and lightly snores. Classic Miss Stewart, always picks up on the kids who are not paying attention. A student in front of him kicks his seat and he shoots up, wiping his drool with the sleeve of his sweater.

He opens his mouth and before he can say whatever nonsense answer, the dismissing bell rings through the school. _Saved by the bell, literally._ He gives the teacher a quick smirk and picks up his skateboard and rushes through the door, finally relieved he can head home.

Stuffing my binder in backpack and standing from my seat, from the corner of my eye I can see Amy and Brooke approach me. Amy says, "Keira! Before you leave, we gotta ask you something."

"Alright, what?"

"Movies? 9: 30 sharp. You coming?" Brooke asks in her nasally voice which I oddly have gotten used to and do not find it as much as annoying as I used to.

The movies. A pitiful excuse of a sociable place where no one actually socializes. Perhaps you can talk before the movie but when the lights shut, so does your mouth. Truth be told, I have schoolwork but it is the weekend so a movie does not sound too bad.

Walking towards the exit, I say, "I'll be there."

1 1 : 0 0 P M

The movie was decent.

It is about a man who gets separated from his wife and son during a zombie apocalypse and how they meet ten years in the future. The movie up to the end was great, until the director decided to kill off _all_ of the characteristics. It just seems unrealistic, there would definitely be some survivors in a zombie outbreak. The weak would easily die but the strong would have a longer run. I am thankful it is over, it feels like it dragged on.

Heading home and falling into my bed and soundly sleeping sounds great. And if my mother had not been so late to pick me up or protective enough to let me drive the Jeep to the movies, I could already by sweetly dreaming. Refusing the car rides that were offered to me, I am waiting here in the chilly night weather awaiting for my mother's arrival, which is taking longer than expected.

I suppose it makes sense why she does not let me drive the car. Ever since the Raccoon City population grew immensely, the crime rate did too. What used to be a small mountainous community is now filled with various acts of felony headlining newspapers and the news. Crimes of robberies, drunk driving, break-ins. Luckily, murders do not occur often.

Shifting my eyes away from the oncoming cars, I spot a rat come out of the gutter. In the dim night sky, at first glance, it seems its eyes are red. After it swirls and scans its surroundings and finds nothing, it crawls back down the sewer. I have never seen a rat in Raccoon City. Ever.

 _Screeeeech._

I turn my head towards the source of the noise and it surprisingly reveals to be my mothers car. The car immediately breaks in front of me and she rapidly honks, catching the attention of a crowd of people who just exited the theater. From the un-tinted mirrors, I can see her mouthing for her to hurry up and I furrow my brows. What is with her? I do as she says and wing the car door in a quick manner.

"Get in!" She exclaims with piercing eyes. I listen and buckle in and shut the door. After that, my mother drives the car like race car.

"Slow down!" I exclaim. Why is she driving like this and why does she look so...panicked?

"Listen to me. Something is going on, I am not sure what but we need to get home as soon as we can." She says as she makes a harsh turn that causes me to hold my head back and lurch forward.

I ask, "What do you _mean_ something is going on!"

"Shit!" She curses as she heads onto a tail of traffic on a local street. Something _is_ going on. My mother draws in a deep breath and pulls the reverse, driving right onto grass.

"What are you doing!" I hold onto the top handle and clench my teeth.

She simply says, "We need to get home." She drives on pavement and back on grass, dodging benches and other obstacles. After a bumpy ride, I can see our house of the edge of the street. Mother parks the car in the driveway and we rush out. We head up the stone stairs and she knocks on the door hardly.

"It's us, Simon!"

Soon after, the doorway swings open and there stands my father with a pistol in his hand. A pistol I never knew he had.

"Thank god you're both safe. Now hurry up! We need to get in the panic room." He ushers us inside the Hurry up! We have to get into the panic room." Ushering us into the living room, he locks the door and boards it up with a nearby wood ply.

"What's going on?" I ask. "Where's Cassie and Dylan?"

"First we need to get into the panic room." When he perceives it sturdy enough, he kicks it with his foot, the door does not budge. "Let's go." My father leads us down the staircase and towards the panic room. The metal door stands odd among the family room. No human could break the door down physically.

He punched in the four number code and the keypad blinked green with the word, 'access granted'. The door clicks open and my father pushes me and my mother in and kicks it close. He does a quick head count before bolting another ply of wood over the metal door. He sighs and runs a hand over his gray hair. He slips the gun into the pocket of his lab coat and sits down on the chair.

When I scan the bedroom-size panic room, I spot Dylan and Cassie hovering over the small TV.

When Cassie sees us, she immediately rushes up and hugs both me and mother. She cries, "Are you guys alright? Oh my god, I was so worried." My mother takes ahold of her hand but I back away.

"Do you know what the hell is going on?" I wish someone would answer me.

Suddenly, Dylan says, a mere whisper, "Come watch the news." I cautiously walk in view of the television and watch.

 _Stay in your homes tonight, residents of Raccoon City because there have seems an infectious outbreak has occurred._ The female reporter says with a usual stern face. Her blonde hair is curly and short like my mother's and she stands in front of a row of police car.

 _The source of this outbreak is unknown but-_ She suddenly stops and looks at the ground. _What. Is. That._

The camera pans to the floor where a rat is seen sniffing and roaming around. It resembles the exact rat I saw at the movies and now with a closer look, I can confirm the red eyes. The rat quickly stops around the reporters high heels and immediately crawls up on her.

 _Get it off me!_ The reporter tries to shake it off but to no avail and the rat climbs all the way up to her neck. _Don't just stand there! Get it OFF!_ But the cameraman doesn't do anything.

In what seems a split second, the rat bites her. Cries of agony curse through and suddenly a masculine scream erupts from what I suppose is the cameraman. The camera falls to the ground, giving the viewer a sideways view of the lady who acquires a small two dotted bite on her neck.

My first thought is, _she is dead._ But she draws a shaky breath. Next a long moan. Lastly a loud groan.

She transforms, deforms into _something_. Her skin rots like she has been dead for over three hundred years and her lips crack. The reporter no longer looks human. She looks sick.

Infected.

DAY 4

SEPTEMBER 26, 1998

3 :

The city is in chaos.

The infected roam the streets of the city. Most of the residents are already infected or have been killed by bio-weapons of terror released on the city. And who is at fault for the outbreak? The one and only, Umbrella. The reveal of the perpetrator does not even surprise me. However, what unsettles me the most is my father. The panic room in the house is sturdy and underground, and _safe_. As if he predicted an event like this would occur.

I asked him two days ago if he knew anything about the outbreak or the virus that has been labelled the _t-virus_. He looked me straight in the eye and said no. I either have trust issues or he lied straight to my face his word is shaky and I am not sure if I fully believe it. It does not fully add up, the pistol, the panic room, the odd calmness of the situation.

He has smiled, at a count of, two times since the outbreak. During a time like this does not seem completely normal. He pretends that we are safe in here and nothing can touch us. But what is most noticeable is that he has not spoken one word about when are getting out of here. The Racoon City police has said they will berid the infection from the city but I do not believe that one bit. Although the idea is splendid, the action is merely not possible.

It is impossible to berid a virus from an entire city. Although Raccoon City is my home, I need to get the hell out of here. How? I do not know but anything is better than living underground in a zombie infested city.

But my biggest problem is my family. They insist on waiting it out. They think the streets are too dangerous which is true but the the panic room won't last forever. We will eventually run out of food and water and we have been lucky so far to not have unwanted visitors. If they come is not up to me but we can't hide forever.

Convincing my family to hit the road will be hard but I have to make it happen. God knows what will happen if we stay here a day longer. However, I cannot leave without them, it is either we all go or none us does.

Sliding down the metal wall, I scan the room. Living here in the past few days has been _different_. I am not used to not showering or not sleeping on an actual bed or not having full meals a day. The room is the size of a bedroom so we cannot take up too much space. Each person in the family gets a sleeping bag and three cold canned foods a day. As much as I do not want to complain, I cannot help but feel the difference. Nobody likes change. As for water, we have a sufficient amount of it but not enough to waste for hygiene.

But that does not stop my sister. She takes the water and washes her face every morning. Nobody says anything. I look over to her and nearly roll my eyes. Cassie is doing what she has been doing for the past few days, staring at the landline. Waiting for a call, waiting for a notion that Brian is alive.

They met in High School and fell hard for him. And now that she is in her last year of college, she is expecting a proposal which seems quite impossible now that he may be dead. Brian is the last person I believe could survive this mess. Although my mother keeps consoling her that he might be alive and safe, I know better. Otherwise than Brian, Cassie is not taking the outbreak well. She cries every day and asks many questions that no one can answer. When she asks mother, she brushes them off, acting as if Cassie did not ask them. It is almost like she does not believe this is happening and that worries me.

My brother and I have been taking this similar. Although curiosity and fear looms inside of us, we have not yet shown any sign of it. It is like we feel when we break, the whole family will. Little does everyone know how close I am the breaking point. I do not show my fear but it is still there and it grows strong. Questions swirl in my head as well. Questions like, why did this happen? Is this the end? And most frequently, will I survive this? I am not even sure I want answers to these questions.

All I know is, my life will never go back to normal or be the same if I survive this.

9 : 5 5 P M

Bedtime.

The sleeping mat is thin and instead feels like I am sleeping on the metal floor. The uncomfortable position has caused my back to ache and my neck to wake up with knots. But that is not why I cannot spend another day here. As the clock ticks and the hour passes my paranoia hits me harder. Staying here for the past few days has kept me in the mentality of a prisoner waiting for the death penalty. At least if I escape the city, I have a better chance at surviving than waiting for my demise.

Perhaps this is the best time to talk my family into it. I roll over and stare at my sister and mother who are still awake.

"Cassie? Mother?" I call softly.

She says, "Yes, sweetheart?"

"How long are we going to stay here?" When I ask the question she shifts her head and silence passes through us.

"I don't know, as long as we have to." She says, barely a whisper.

Taking a small breath, I conclude, "We can't stay here forever, you know that?"

Suddenly my father interrupts, "Keira, stop worrying. We will get out of here when the virus is destroyed." He never gives me an exact date. All vague answers.

I exclaim, "When is that? Does it not even occur to you people we have to _get out of Raccoon City!_ " I did not realize I was yelling. The family all look at me with shock and narrow their eyes.

My mother spits, "Do not yell like that." She turns the lantern in the corner off. "Everybody go to bed. This conversation is _over_."

Over, it is. Like our lives if we don't get the hell out of this panic room and the city. And if my family continues on this streak of denial, the chance of surviving is as slim as paper.

DAY 5

SEPTEMBER 27, 1998

6 :

Mother is serving dinner. As the family is crowded around the television, we watch the international news. It is showing pictures of Umbrella and how the cause of the virus may have not of been accidental. I shift my eyes to my father who is not even paying attention, instead he is scraping the contents of his canned food.

I had not yet touched mine. All we had is canned food and water bottles. As I drink from the water bottle I ask my mother, "How long will food and water last?"

"Long enough." Another vague answer, why did I expect nothing less? I sigh in frustration and swirl the slop like soup contents with the plastic spoon. Even though the food is not my favourite, food is food and it is a resource we are lucky to acquire.

I turn my attention back to the tv.

 _Wait a minute, I just got a notice regarding the city._ The anchor says and listens to his ear piece. _Okay, okay so by the information I required, it is confirmed Raccoon City has been labelled as indefinite quarantine._ Indefinite quarantine? _Barricaded walls have been built surrounding the city so nothing gets in...or out._

What? No. No. No. No. No!

Shit.

Now I really am _stuck_ here.

"Barricades? Does that mean that they are just gonna wait for us to..die out?" Cassie asks.

"No. They are still going to berid the virus." My father says desperately, "They will, they have to."

My brother comments, "We should've left the city when we had the chance." Well, well. Now who's right. A collection of arguments plaster around and vibrate through the room. My mother and brother argue. Father tries to console Cassie and I stand there, watching.

Finally having my own say, I acknowledge, "Did I not say we should've left the-"

THUMP!

That came from the…

THUMP-THUMP!

The door pounded over and over again, someone or something is trying to get in. It is only a matter of time.

"What is that!" Cassie jumps and hold onto my father's lab coat.

My father quickly shakes her off and creeps towards the door, enabling his pistol. I leave the can of food on the floor with shaky hands and stand with weak legs. My heart beats within my chest and runs through my ears. Sweat forms on the palm of my hands and I bump into a small table. Atop the table is a chef's knife, able to decapitate a man. Without thinking, I grab it.

My mother cries, "Block the door, Simon! It's one of those _things_!"

"I can't get through! Everybody just...stay back." And so they do but I do not. I stay stationary and a few steps away from my father. My mother and sister sob and my brother takes deep breaths. BEfore they can call me to get back the door pounds hard once more, the hinges breaking off and the metal door falls down.

They look exactly as the female reporter I saw on the news. Putrid, with rooting flesh and visible bones. Seeing them frightens me but my breathing is still steady. As they approach my father, he does not shoot. He stands there and they pounce on him. As my father falls, the pistol slips through his finger and slides towards me. As I pick the up the gun, I see the zombies, grabbing him, holding him down, biting him.

But my mind is still oddly able to function and understand what is happening. I hear my mother and sister cry with my brother holding them. I see my father's lifeless body dead on the floor with the zombies hovering over it. The infected back is towards us and after they finish feasting on my father, they stop groaning and stay silent.

They turn around and face me in the eye. And as they do, a feeling I have never felt before, curses through my veins, through my entire body. A survival instinct hits my brain and my body feels hot, strong, _powerful_.

I aim and shoot. Twice. One for the zombie on the left and another for the zombie on the right. Making sure they are completely dead, I pierce another two bullets each, trying to aim for their heads. Never holding a gun before, they don't hit and instead hit their chest. The two infected simultaneously fall to the floor, dead.

I can't believe I just did that.

Slipping the gun in the pocket of my hoodie, I turn my gaze to my father. His skull is unopened but cracked but blood is not rushing out. My mother immediately rushes and falls to her knees and weeps over his body.

She cries, "Simon! Simon, Simon, Simon! Please wake up, please love, wake up." She says his name over and over again. After a few moments, a small groan erupts from his lips. He stirs slightly and my mother smiles with tears and hugs him, "Thank god you are all right!"

He looks alive but he is not. Because when he wakes up, his eyes are red and his skin starts to rot. He grabs my mother and she rarely fights back. He groans loudly and struggles to bite her. As much as I want to stand there and let someone else do the thinking, I cannot. There is not time for thinking anymore, I have to act.

I pull the trigger. It hits him square in the back. He crumples over my father and my brother pushes him off.

I...shot...my father.

"What did you do, Keira!" Mother cries and sobs even harder over his now certainly dead body. She gives the most dirtiest, coldest look I would never receive from a stranger let alone my mother. I want her to not look at me like that but I am unable to speak.

I stutter, "I-I-"

"Listen, everyone! We HAVE to get moving, there are going to be more coming." Dylan says, coming to the rescue.

"No, I can't leave. I won't!" She whines.

Dylan says, "Mother! Look at me," She does. "Father's dead. We cannot do anything about it now but he would want us to get to safety. He would want us to survive." My mother wipes her tears with her blouse and stands up with the help of Cassie who has red-rimmed eyes and refuses to look at me in the eye. Mother slowly nods her head and takes a small step away from his body.

My brother leads them up the basement stairs and before he lets me follow, he hold my arm and says, "It's not your fault. You did the right thing." Did I? I did not technically take my own father's life, he was already dead when I shot him. I feel guilt, I really do, but it is not much as I expected. I do not know if that is a blessing or a curse.

And I know my father is dead. Nothing will change that. I will miss him but oddly his death does not cover my thoughts. Survival does.

Rushing up the stairs, I behold the house. It is a wreck, completely trashed. The nice house looks nothing like it used to. Only having a few minutes in the house, I quickly follow my sister and mother out to the garage which held the jeep. It luckily is not beaten or broken, it looks exactly how we left it.

"Get in. I'll open the garage door." I say.

Mother and Cassie get in the back seat and Dylan slides in the drivers seat. Pushing the code in, the engine livens up and the lights go on. The garage door finally lifts and I run to the passenger and hop in. In front of us, are zombies crowding around the street.

"Go!" I exclaim and my brother puts the car into drive and steers the wheel. He drives quickly past them and onto the street, forgetting them.

"Buckle up, guys." Dylan says. "Where are we going anyway, Keira?" We cannot leave the city. Although taking the first highway out of here is my first option, we need to go to safety and then devise a plan to get out of here.

"The police station."

6 : 4 0 P M

Dylan drives at a decently fast pace speed through the dark streets. The ride has been smooth so far, we noticed some streets are bombed with dead infected laying around, of course we could not take those streets, so we took the smaller and less lighter ones. We have not encountered many but we have encountered a few to which we simply drove past them and in some cases, over them.

The station is close, I can see it. It remains bright against the dull and lifeless street.

"It's there!" Cassie points, relieved. Dylan steers faster and takes a sharp left towards the back of the station. He parks the car in the very back to keep it the safest.

After he turns the car off, he commands, "Quickly! To the front." Shutting the doors close, we run towards the entrance, hoping to not run into any infected but the street looks safe, for now. As we make our way into the entrance, I rapidly and multiply bang on the door. I hear loud murmurs from behind it but after a few moments, the door quickly opens and a young man in a police officer's uniform ushers us in.

"Hurry up!" He exclaims. After we all get in the station, he shuts the door close with the help of other policemen and I have a chance to catch my breath. I look over to the man who helped us. He has dirty blonde hair with bangs overlooking his green eyes. He seems young for a police officer, definitely not over 22.

He begins to approach us. He asks with a stutter to his voice, as if he did not know what to say, "Is everyone okay?" A round of nods. "Good." He stands still, as awaiting orders.

"Take them to the other civilians, Rookie!" Another brute policeman orders and the 'Rookie' immediately nods and heads that way, asking us to follow him. A new police officer, what a great time to be enforced.

He opens two main doors and I almost gasp. Inside is Raccoon City civilians, all warm, all fed, all safe. There is over 100 people in the shelter and although they look scared and grieving, they are not infected or zombies. Perhaps staying here won't be too bad but I know it's only temporary.

DAY 8

SEPTEMBER 29, 1998

9 :

The station is better than expected.

We have food, water and shelter. With those three important keys of survival it does not seem I can ask for much else. Well, I could wish and hope for many things but the police station does not terminate the constant turmoil in the pit of my stomach that will not disappear. I know I will not ever feel safe as long as I am still in Raccoon City. The chance we had to leave the city freely is now gone, and I do not know how to leave. The barricades are up and holding off the city from the outside, where the t-virus is non-existent. I got to find a way, someway, somehow. The police took my pistol and Dylan's knife so that leaves out getting through force.

The policeman and chief continuously inform us that the station is safe and soon 'all of this will be over'. However, that could have a double meaning. One fortunate, where we they do berid the city of the virus or the other, more unfortunate one.

I shift beneath the thin sheet, pushing the thoughts away.

I search for my brother and sister and could not spot them. My mother is laying beside me, curled on her sleeping bag. I do not even bother asking her where Cassie and Dylan are. I know she will not respond even though she is likely wide awake. My mother is still in grief although that is not why she will not even utter one word to me. I shot my father. I know I did. And I cannot change that.

Although I do not feel regret, I feel guilty. Guilty not for killing him but for letting him get bitten. If only I was not scared enough to help him instead of standing like a statue, I could of saved him from getting infected. And I would not have had the need to shoot him. He would even be here at the station with us if I had saved him or aided him.

I understand the consequences but what is most hurtful during the outbreak? My mother. My own mother pretends I do not exist, she will not look me in the eyes. I doubt she considers me as her child anymore. Although I can understand her pain, I want to yell at her that I had no choice. I want her to look me in the eyes, hold me, tell me that she loves me.

But that won't happen anytime soon.

This whole week has never been worse. I am surrounded by plenty of people in the station but have never felt lonelier. Cassie has not directly told me what she thinks about me and I do not think it is pleasant. But thankfully, Cassie is happy. Surprisingly, she found her boyfriend, Brian. I was damned at first that is for sure. When she saw him, she cried and smiled for the first time since the outbreak. Although I never known Brian enough, I felt a feeling of relief that is is alive. Brian is someone Cassie can truly feel protected and safe with.

Cassie is my older sister but she has never went out of her way to protect me. And that is not because she is a bad sister, I cannot blame her for being scared. I am too, deep down, never admitted. I am in no way fearless or brave. Honestly, I just want to survive Raccoon City like everyone else. That does not make me some hero or villain, it gives me survival instinct that occurs to everyone. To survive, depends on the level of understanding.

Dylan has not been distinct which is reassuring. I know if anyone in the family has my back, it's him. Hell, it seems like I cannot even trust my own family. Would they leave me behind if they could? Would I? No, I could not. We already lost one family member because of and I cannot let us lose another.

Lifting the sheets off of me, I abruptly stand and look for Dylan and Cassie. I could not let myself have trails of thought like this anymore, they are distracting and I do not have time to be distracted.

Walking around the groups of families and friends on the floor, I shift my eyes away. They all look like they have been through hell and back. The station did not have fresh clothes, so the clothes we did have is mostly covered in blood or dirt. People have cuts, bruises, wounds. Not a scene to be put on a postcard.

Finally spotting Cassie and Dylan, I find they are sitting on the floor with a group of strangers and Brian. When I approach, Brian is the first to acknowledge me and gives me a small smile. Although I do not smile back, I feel oddly touched. That is the first anyone has smiled directly to for awhile.

"Hey Keira!" He says while adjusting his cracked glasses higher on the bridge of his nose. Before I respond, I look to the strangers. There is a total of four of them, excluding Brian, Cassie and Dylan.

The stranger beside Cassie is a twenty-something female. She sports bright pink straight hair unintended smudged heavy eyeliner. She is wearing short shorts that reveal bruises and multiple cuts from what I presume, falling. When her sharp blue eyes caught mine, her glare is evident and does not give me the feeling this girl is friendly. Not that I blame her, who would be friendly during this time. Well, except for Brian.

To her side, is young-adult asian male who wore glasses and ripped clothes. Beneath his black bangs is a small cut that ran across his small forehead. he certainly does not look like he has a good week either. There is a male beside him, younger with dark hair and an untamed stubble. He wore a torn leather jacket and black jeans. He seems - or seemed- to be in college and has an attractive face.

Lastly, the male sitting a little far behind looks seldom. He has dirty blonde hair that in some lights would seem light brown. He is not socializing and seems bored and unamused. Although his expression and the cuts embedded on his face reveals he has had a rough week, like everyone else.

"What are you doing?" I ask Cassie and Dylan.

Dylan says, "Just talking to some fellow survivors." He chuckles forcefully. What would they be talking about? I remain standing, refusing to sit beside the strangers. I don't trust them.

"I'll introduce you." Dylan ponders, always the sociable one, "This is my younger sister, Keira. Keira this is,"

He points, "Roxanne." Pink hair.

"Danny." Glasses.

"Sebastian." Dark hair.

Lastly, he says, "and that's Colton."

I do not know why he gave me an introduction to these people. It is not like I give a damn what their names are or who they are.

The pink haired girl gives me a side glance before saying randomly, "Well...continuing my story. While I was getting out of my car, the zombie popped out at me! It looked nasty! But I kicked it in the head like a pro and I felt lost but then I headed here and that's how I ended up at the station." She says it in one breath. Her story seems modified, I do not quite believe this girl is able to kick a zombie straight in the head.

Danny asks, "Where's your family?"

Her eyes harden for a quick sudden before she shrugs her shoulders. She responds, "I left home when I was 16. I couldn't care less what happened to them."

I suddenly hear a small snort behind me. He does not say anything and the girl, Roxanne quickly retreats to defense.

"Do you have a problem?"

"Nope. No problem." He says calmly.

She rolls her eyes. "What about you, mystery boy, where's your family?"

"Dead, for my nineteen years of living. Always will, always have been an orphan." He informs with no emotion and a poker face.

All Roxanne says is, "Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Less to worry about, right?" He says with a challenging brow. Before the girl could respond, Sebastian hisses Colton's name. He looks at him and rolls his eyes and backs off. This interaction reveals them to be friends, possibly best friends.

Trying to berid the tension, Sebastian asks, "What about you guys," He looks at Cassie, Dylan and I. "How did you end up here?"

"Nothing of interes-" Before I could finish. Cassie begins, "We were in our bunker for a few days. It was as safe as you can imagine but I don't why," Tears form in her eyes.

"Are you alright, Cassie?" Brian murmurs in her ear and holds her closer as I feel the urge to roll my eyes.

Cassie continues, "Yesterday, those _things_ , whatever those things are broke in. We all managed to escape but...my father was bitten."

"Did he turn?" Roxanne asks as she pulls her knees to her chest and wraps her arms around them. It still did not feel right that Cassie told them the story, I just hope she won't tell them my part in it. Actually, I should not care. These people are not my friends, they are strangers. I do not care what they think about me.

Immediately, Cassie's eyes shift to me and quickly glance away. With that gesture, the circle begin to stare up to me, as if awaiting an answer.

Dylan says, "Yeah, he turned and-."

I abruptly finish, "And I shot him." The all stare up to me with confusion, horror and oddly an amused smirk from unsurprisingly, Colton.

Danny says, "Oh." That is when I cross my arms over my chest and feel my heart race. Did I just tell them that? What the hell is wrong with me. But it was probably going to come out anyway...right?

Taking a last shaky breath, I turn on my heel and head the other direction. I do not look back and head behind the pillar and wall that is secluded from the people in the shelter. I lean against the wall and take short breaths. What am I doing? This cannot be from embarrassment. It cannot. Am I truly embarrassed for killing my father?

When my breathing returns to normal, I try to step out but am blocked by a hard chest. Colton stares at me with his green eyes and says, "Shot your own father, huh?"

I glare at him and push him hardly away.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Nothing. I just wonder what type of person does that."

" _He was infected_." I say through my clenched teeth. I begin to walk away with anger but he says, "Don't get angry. I would have done the exact same thing." I turn around.

"Sure you would of. But luckily you don't have to because anyway, your father is _dead_." I rudely say. He face does not change a bit.

"Very true. But that is not why I want to talk to you."

I say, "What?"

"Well, you must've shot your father with a gun, perhaps a pistol. Do you have it?"

I narrow my eyes at him. "If I did, why would I tell you?"

He starts, "Because-"

Suddenly, the lights in the shelter shut off. The entire room turns pitch black and the screams and panic begin. Shouts and exclamations of fear emerge and echo throughout the room.

"What the hell." I say loudly to be heard over the shouts. I cannot see Colton's face but can slightly see his silhouette. Before I can say anything, he grabs my arm and heads towards to the shelter. His arm feels cold on mine and I have the urge to shake it off but do not.

When we reach the open, we hear people but cannot see. We cannot even spot my siblings and the group of survivors. But a few minutes later, the lights turn on. Oddly all the policemen are not around. People relax and I am able to spot my mother and Cassie.

I head towards them but Colton lightly yanks on my arm. He says, "The gun."

"Keira!" He suddenly exclaims. "Just give me the gun." Is he out of his mind?

"I don't have it! I never had it." I ignore him and do not listen to his response as I head into the crowd towards Cassie and Mother. Colton is none of my concern.

As I approach them after pushing multiple people out of the way, I can see Brian but cannot spot Dylan.

"Where's Dylan?" I ask .

"I-I don't know. Keira, what's going on?" Cassie asks frantically while holding onto Brian's arm tighter, squeezing it for dear life.

Before I can respond, the PA crackles through the speakers, receiving everyone's attention. A man begins to say, " _Attention staff, officers and civilians, as Chief of the Raccoon City Police Department, I have the authority to lock the station into indefinite quarantine. From the reports from my officers, it is confirmed there is a bio organic weapon, a B.O.W. that is on the loose. To remain safe, remain in the station and please remain calm."_

A B.O.W? What is that? The chief says it is a weapon of some sort but what type. The two words, bio organic don't give me the feeling they are human but I have the feeling there are living. Whatever is coming, will harm the station. I do not understand the lies the Chief said. The station is the only safe place in the city, therefore the first target.

We need to get out of here. Now. I begin to search for Dylan but he is nowhere in my line of sight. I cannot spot him through the fearful survivors.

 _Clank! Clank!_

"Did you hear that?" Cassie exclaims. Of course I heard but I have no idea what it is. The noise continues and catches the attention of everybody. They all begin to panic more and it surrounds the shelter. The banging sounds like it is coming from above us, then sometimes beside us. Almost like something is in the vents.

Something in the vents…

Could it be the…

Abruptly, a vent door opens and an arm. Although it is not an arm, not even close. It is not a human arm, it looks like a monster. An arm of a monster in your dreams. It is slimy and long and curls. When it pops out, the people around the vent scream and shuffle away but the arm does something odd.

It grabs one of them. The woman screams and frails although its arm -tentacle- wraps it over and drags her into the vent. Her screams echoed throughout the shelter before she suddenly stops. And silence occurs after that.

It...killed her. That is when the station goes bizarre. It's chaos everywhere. People are screaming, crying and are all trying to head out of the front door.

"We gotta get out of here." I say as I stare at the vents. The thing could pop out any minute.

"Keira!" Dylan.

I shout, "Dylan!" I look for him and spot him squeezing through a family. He spots me and slowly walks towards.

Before he approaches us, the vent behind him opens and the arm comes out.

It wraps around Dylan.

My feet run and I find myself trying to pry the arm off him. Dylan's pleas of help echos in my ear as I kick the arm, punch it. But it is to no avail. I do nothing but am knocked back from the arm and fall to the ground. As I shift to my side, I can see the arm take Dylan into the vents. Screams do not occur like the woman but curses do.

His words finish echoing through the vents after a few moments. Pure white silence occurs discarding the shocked gasps of onlookers who have not tried to leave the shelter yet.

It all happens fast. In a blink of an eye. Not enough time for me to emotionally react. But I do not let myself think of my now dead brother. What really echoes in my ear is, 'get the hell out of here'. There is not a time to grief. I cannot die, I cannot let my mother and sister die. We will not be picked off one by one.

"Oh my god!" Cassie cries but my mother does not. She stands still, in shock with no expression or emotion. Hopefully, getting them to follow me will be easier than last time.

Brian is not with Cassie, in fact he is nowhere to be found. He must of ran off for his own survival. Or he was taken into the vents.

I say, "Cassie. Mom." I take hold of their shoulders. " _Follow me_." They do not nod their heads but I know they heard.

Since the crowd that is trying to escape does not understand the station is quarantined, I do not follow them. The only possible way to exit the police station I came up with is through the window. If we are able to find the Chief's office, I know there is a window placed there and we can easily break it and jump out of the window. Luckily the station is only one floor, so the damage hopping out is non-existent. Locating the office is the problem and I doubt anyone will give me directions.

I know the office on the right side of the station, therefore we head left. I take my sister's hand and run the opposite direction from the crowd, towards the lengthy hallway.

Suddenly Cassie exclaims, "I can't leave without Brian!" She begins to head the other way to find her lover but I yank her arm and pull her bag. I tug on her shirt roughly.

"Listen up, Cass. We do not have time for this. Do you want to live or _not._ " Her lip and brow waver but she slightly nods and I nod in return. I understand her conflict but her life will always come first. Her fear of dying is too strong for Brian to hold her back.

I say, "Look for the Chief's office." We split up but my mother remains still. I do not have the energy to tell her to help.

I begin to search the doors in the hallway for the plaque that reads _Chief_. Although I cannot find it and neither can Cassie. I take ahold of Mother's arm and head into the next hallway finally finding the door. My sweaty palms open the doorknob and we head inside in a quiet fashion. It is not confirmed but this _thing_ could be attracted to noise.

Shutting the door, I scan the room. It is a typical office with a wooden desk, a chair that is faced the opposite direction than me and plants. But what is behind the desk is what delights me. A window, a tall, glass, breakable window.

I head towards the window and gasp when I realize what -who- is sitting in the chair. The deceased Chief. A bullet shot engraves his forehead and the gun lays on the floor. He must of shot himself. The Chief was a madman but the gun will come in handy.

Taking ahold of the gun, I load ammo in the mag, as I have seen my father do it and before shooting, I warn, "Stand back." After they take a few steps back, I aim, and shoot the window. The glass shatters and scatters all over the floor.

However, when the bang on the shot happens, so does a creak in the vent. After a few seconds the vent cover pops open and the tentacle appears.

Mother, Cassie and I, tip-toe backwards toward the window. I can feel my heart pump in my chest and my ears ring. Cassie whimpers and I quickly wrap my hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. If this thing hears us…

The B.O.W. arm swarms around, looking for a target but luckily we are not in reach. The tentacle stops pacing for awhile and slithers back into the vent. I let out the breath I had held and whisper, "Thank god."

"Okay, let's get the hell out of here." We all head out of the window, watching for broken shards.

When we are outside, we can see the whole parking lot is a mess, the cars are destroyed and the lot has been bombed. That leaves out taking the car. On foot we go.

"Run." I say as we back away from the destroyed lot and take hold of my mother's hand and begin to run.

As we run away from the police station, Cassie asks, out of breath, "Zombies will be on the streets! What are we going to do! Keira! Keira!"

"First off, the only way to survive against these things is force. Weapons like, knives, pistols, rifles." I say. We must go to only place logical.

"We go to the shooting range."

DAY 9

SEPTEMBER 30, 1998

1 2 :

The streets are silent. Even a pin drop would make an audible sound. Silence usually calms one, however it is what makes me the most anxious. Since our trek from the police station, we have not encountered one infected, we haven't even heard a groan in the distance. It has been dead silence.

Without the infected in eyesight or range, my senses grow stronger and my guard elevates higher. At any fast minute, a zombie could appear. That is a risk I am not willing to take, a risk that could happen but I won't allow it to harm us. The pistol is cheap but functional.

No infected are roaming the streets of as current. I still not even hear their low moan from afar. At first glance it seems like the city is dead or ghostly with no inhabitants but that is far from the truth. A darker being lurks within. Just because we could not see them does not mean they are not here. They are here alright, hiding, waiting.

Lifting the pistol higher, I scan the street that is empty. At the end of the street is a pile of rubble, blocking our path and I can spot the shooting range logo with its bright leon sign flickering every beat. _Moe's Shooting Range_. My feet form from a steady walk into a sprint towards the range.

Approaching the range, I frown. We are definitely not the first one's here. It is raided from every counter to every cabinet. The window is shattered with pieces scattered over the floor and the first room is turned upside down. The brown chairs are scuffed and fallen. All the cabinets, drawers, shelves are opened and visibly empty. There is nothing of use in here. No guns, rifles, magnums. There isn't even a knife in sight.

Groaning in frustration, I slam my fist on the desk. Luck is not in our favor tonight. Trekking all the way here appears to be a complete waste time. I still do not know how to get through the barricade.

But I know I have to come up with an idea quick. Before the zombies or the B.O.W. find us.

"There is nothing here." I say as I watch Cassie open and close cabinets.

She says, "It's worth a look. We obviously wouldn't get the best weapons but let's see if there if anything left over. There's only so much one person can carry." Doubtful from the look of the range.

Suddenly my mother puts a reassuring hand on my back before she sits atop the low counter. She willingly touches me. She lets out a little sigh and shuts her eyes exhaustingly. The whole week has been tough for her. Mother is not much old, however is was not young. She tires after running and long distances of walking. Yet I know what is most hard on her is the loss of her husband and her son.

The death of my brother and father is cruel but I oddly do not feel the amount of remorse I believe I would have.

And that scares me.

More than the undead. More than the chaos. I should feel worse, I should grief. Yet no feelings of remorse loom inside me. My survival instinct grows stronger and louder every hour and I do not know if that is being selfish or the humane thing to occur.

I miss my father and brother however I cannot let myself to think about them now. It will only distract me and I need to focus on finding weapons to hoard off the infected for any chance of survival. That logic could be wrong but it is either the zombies or us. And it sure as hell won't be us.

"There is nothing here." I say to Cassie who is still searching.

She responds desperately, "There might be-wait a minute. The range wouldn't put all of their guns on display. There might be a vault or storage here!"

"What makes you think that's not empty too." I say.

"Because we would have seen opened door."

I sigh and follow her into the backroom. As expected, the room is raided completely. There is round shag carpet near the table and a broken coffee maker in the corner. It seems more like a employee lounge than a storage. The observation could prove there actually is another storage. I just hope we are the first one's to find it.

Walking around the room, as I step on the carpet and long creek erupts from underneath. That's odd. While walking, the floor was not creeky at all. The only way for a floor to be creaky is for it not have proper structure underneath.

I hurriedly fall to the floor and pull the carpet the opposite direction.

"A trapdoor." Matching the floor, the trapdoor was locked. "Get mom." I say to Cassie before shooting the lock with one of the few bullets I have left.

Cassie shortly returns with mom and she smiles with relief. However, we have not even went inside yet, if there was nothing in there, we are utterly screwed.

"I'll go in. Cassie, stay with mom." She nods her head. I nod my head back at her and walk down the spiral staircase.

When I arrive at the end of the flight I nearly bask in the sight.

Jackpot.

Rows and stacks of weapons. Rifles, handguns, shotguns. Equipment of survival. Seeing all the weapons resembles the feeling of a children waking on Christmas morning. Sadly there are no grenades or explosives however they had bulletproof vests and ammo package storage which would come in handy.

How ironic. The shooting is not only a range but a part-time black market. Lucky for us though.

Stacking the weapons into the backpack, I scan the room once more before heading up the stairs. My mother and sister immediately glance at me as I kick close the trapdoor. I pull the carpet over the entrance.

"Why'd you hide it? Other survivors might need to get in there." Cassie questions with raised brow.

"If I leave it unhidden. Anybody could access the storage, including infected." I say, "Anyways, put these on." I hand them the bulletproof vest.

My mother puts it over her blouse and Cassie wears it under her jacket. I take my hoodie off and strap the vest on. Slipping the hoodie over my head, Cassie says, "What else did you get?"

"A lot." I reply with a small smirk and zip open the pack. I hand my mom a small pistol. She does not grab it at first, as if she is surprised at the notion I am giving her one.

"Take it. You need it."

She does not respond but she hardly shakes her head.

I demonstrate, "Just aim and pull-"

She shakes her head once more and whispers, "I can't."

I guess I understand why she cannot. Even though her acquiring a gun would make me feel less uneasy, I cannot force to hold a weapon after what happened to her husband and son.

"Fine. Just stay...close."

I turn to Cassie, handing her two guns; a sub-machine gun and a magnum. She hastily takes it and asks, "How do I work this?"

Showing her how to reload and aim the gun, I realize I fully do not understand it myself. I am no gunslinger or sharpshooter but it is actually easier to pull the trigger and hit an accurate shot than expected. Trust me, I would know.

After I finish telling her the basics, she says, says, "I think I got it."

I respond, "Good. Let's get moving." I want to tell her more. I want to tell her if anything should happen to me, do not waste ammunition and time, move on and head on. But I could not. As much as I want to be prideful, my tongue would not let the words come out. Where would they even go?

In fact, I heard a rumor while at the shelter. From eavesdropping from a family, I heard them say the barricades are failing on some highways. If the barricade is down that is our one way ticket out of Raccoon City. Perhaps it would not be a waste of a time to check it out…

Jogging out of the backroom, I load shells into my shotgun and head out of the range with Cassie and Mother close behind. As we head onto the street, I realize it is the exact same. There is still no noise or zombies roaming around. It makes my skin crawl.

Stopping in my tracks, I turn around. I hear something. I hear footsteps approaching us. Aiming my pistol, I wait. But it is not infected. It is the group of survivors I met in the station. Although I know these people, I do not lower my gun. They are armed, all of them. How they got these weapons, I do not know.

All of them are here; Colton, Sebastian, Danny, Roxanne and surprisingly, Brian. When Brian and Cassie see each other, they rush to each other and collapse in each other's arms. Instead of feeling disgusted, I feel the opposite. They kiss each other and cry tears of joy to each other. To lose someone is one thing but to lose them a second time is another. I am glad they are able to find each other at the end.

After their reunion, unsurprisingly Colton is the first to approach. He puts his hands above his head since my gun is still aimed.

"Don't shoot, we aren't here to harm you. I promise." He says with a raised brow.

"Why should I trust you?"

However before he can finish a loud hiss erupts from behind us.

The B.O.W.

Colton finishes after he reloads his AK, "Because it doesn't seem like you have much choice now." He is right.

Sebastian says, "Run," He exclaims,"Run! Run! Run!" And we do. I sprint like I am a track runner. However, I look back to see if my mother and sister are catching up, which they are, but I spot the tentacle looking monster. It is far behind but it is slithering at us. It is large and wide and looks like a snake with multiple tails.

At this rate, the infected snake will catch at to us, we need something quicker, we need a car. At the corner of my eye, I see an ambulance and Colton seems to see it too.

Colton informs, "I'm going to the ambulance. Cover me!" I do, while running, I shoot two bullets at the snake. It takes the damage and slows down. Thankfully.

We continue to run and Colton seems to take his time hotwiring the car.

"Hurry up!" Roxanne shouts.

After a few beats, the engine revs up and he exclaims, "Got it! Get in!"

I open the door of the ambulance and usher them. The B.O.W. comes into view and I shoot it a few times. After I think everyone is in, I spot my mother last, lagging behind. She clutches her stomach and jogs slowly. She suddenly loses balance and falls and I immediately run toward her.

"Get up!" I say as I help her up and sling her arm over my shoulder. I see _it_ in the distance. If we are not faster, it's arm will take us any second. The ambulance is very near and after a few more steps of speed walking I push my mother in ambulance and try to hop in last.

" _DRIVE!_ "

However, the B.O.W. grabs a hold on my foot and nearly grabs me. Shit, shit, shit. I do not have time to process what is going on but I realize my sister is holding my left hand, pulling me away and my gun is in my right hand.

With one hand, I shoot. The B.O.W. lets go of my foot and slithers away. Brian shuts the door closed and I take several deep breaths. That was almost the end. When is this night going to be over.

"Is she okay?" Colton calls from the driver's seat.

"Yeah, I think so." Cassie replies. From the rear-view mirror, his eyes spot mine and they are surprisingly filled with worry.

"Thanks, Cass." I say. I turn to my mother. "Are you alright?" That is when she bursts out crying, she takes ahold of me and cries on my shoulder and I do nothing but sit there and pat her back and rub her hair.

"My sweetheart…" She constantly says and I slightly smile. Finally, my mother looks me in the eye, she holds and she talks to me. It has been a long since that happened.

However, Colton interrupts, "Where to next?"

Danny says, "Highway Main. I received confirmation the barricade is down."

5 :

Dawn is arriving.

Looking through the passenger window, I shift in my seat. I had moved beside Colton when infected had began to climb on the ambulance and I had to shake them off. However, the good news is, Danny was right. The barricade was destroyed and we were able to get out of Raccoon City.

I have never felt any more relieved. The minute we passed the _Welcome to Raccoon City - Home of Umbrella_ sign, it truly felt after a week of horror I was safe. We lost my brother and father and I will never forget that but for right now, I have to look after my mother and sister.

I glance out the window. Hues of orange and red appear as the sun begins to arrive. We have been on Highway Main for at least five hours and we plan to head to the farthest place away from the city. The radio in the ambulance had an old cassette that Colton is now playing through the speakers. The music is a nice reminder that things might go back to normal afterall.

"What will do you after this is over?" I ask him as he steers the wheel with one hand. He gives me a side glance.

"I'm not quite sure. I know my will never go back to normal but normals not my thing anyway." He says, "What about you?"

I say, "When we get to the city, my family will probably head to Tall Oaks, we have family there. I guess I will probably finish high school, get things on backtrack."

"Is that what you truly want?"

"I-no." I glance at my hands. "My father was an Umbrella employee. I-I think that he might knew about the outbreak...and may have had a part in it."

"So what, are you going to take down Umbrella and see if your father was involved?" He teases with a small smirk. No, I am an agent or spy but I want to know if my father knew about it. And if he did, why would he help? Did he not understand the horror it would bring? Too many questions swirl in my head.

"No but as long as Umbrella remains, no where in the world is safe. What we saw happen in Raccoon City, I do not wish my worst enemy to see that." I say.

"You're pretty smart for a highschool kid." He says.

I raise my eyebrow, "You are only three years older than me. You just graduated highschool a year ago."

"Very true." He pauses for a moment, "By the way, I wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened to your brother and your father. Even if he was apart of the outbreak, he was still your father."

"But I shot him."

"You didn't have a choice. Sometimes you gotta do things the hard way to survive."

I nod my head, "Never heard a truer sentence. All I know is that my life will never be the same." We relax into comfortable silence and continue to drive. When I look outside the window, I oddly see something in the sky.

It looks like a jet, or a...rocket. It moves so quick and say, "Colton, what is that?"

"Where?" He asks but when he spots it he whispers something under his breath that is inaudible.

I follow the rocket to my eyes and realize it heads south, towards the City.

 _BOOM!_ I cannot see the explosion close but I know it happened. The loud bang hit my eyes atop the trees I can slightly see the explosion.

We all look up and out of the window, our breath caught.

"They nuked...Raccoon City."

THE END

 **I hope you guys enjoyed that one shot! I had so much fun writing it! Please review what you thought**


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